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When you can't trust in angels, you turn to the devil for a pact.
Alessandro Steno is Venice's living legend. Trying to wash old blood off his hands, he hunts the city's...
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Lealia ran into them halfway to their supposed meeting place. Literally.
She had rushed off — more exited than concerned, which, to Alessandro, was reason for concern — the second she had received the kids' message.
The good thing was: when she had skipped around the corner, she didn't barrel straight into Giacinto. The small man and she would have crashed into the canal next to the street very unceremoniously.
Alessandro wrinkled his nose in disgust. The murky water — was that a dead rat floating between the algae — was drenching the air with a stench worse than muddy, wet dog fur. These parts of Venice were significantly less pleasant than the palaces at the Gran Canale. There was no trace of the elegant gondolas gliding ahead and huge bridges spanning over motionless, mirror like water.
Instead,she ran into Alessandro. Though surprised, he steadied the girl with his giant hands.
Suddenly faced with a large body she shrieked — then immediately started laughing when she recognized the officer. "Hello?" She tilted her head.
Alessandro shook his head when bright blue eyes grinned up at him. "Hello." He did have to smile at the girl's innocence. "Is that how you usually greet people?"
"Only brave investigators who solved such strange cases." She hopped away, waving at Giacinto.
The other man was narrowing his eyes at them.
"The case is far from solved. This is just the beginning," Alessandro frowned.
"So dramatic! What did you find out? Who killed Iacobo? Can we hunt them down? Would it be murder if I accidentally shoved them from the clock tower?" Laelia tilted her head, tapping her chin with a mischievous glint sparking to live in her eyes.
Alessandro could practically see little gears working in her mind. "Yes, that would be murder."
"But if it looks like an accident?"
"That would still be murder."
"Killjoy. Fine."
"Seriously? Don't we have more important things to do? Chat about legal matters someone else." Giacinto inspected his nails, a crease had settled between his brows. Something had upset him. "Or never. Never works fine with me."
Laelia laughed.
She had a beautiful laugh. Light, bright, clear — like little silver bells jingling merrily in a spring breeze. It was genuine. The joy filled her eyes with a youthful glint and little creases appeared around her eyes. Why Antonio would not spend every single minute trying to make her laugh was an unexplainable miracle.
